ATC

=ATC =

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History: Since their birth in 1997 in Switzerland, Artist Trading Cards have become something of a cultural phenomena with ATC trading sessions now taking place in cities and towns around the globe. The ATC movement developed out of the mail art movement and has its origins in Switzerland. Cards are produced in various media, including dry media (pencils, pens, markers, etc.), wet media (watercolor, acrylic paints, etc.), paper media (in the form of collage, papercuts, found objects, etc.) or even metals or cloth. The cards are usually traded or exchanged rather than sold.

Materials: Most materials can be used to make an ATC. The things to remember are that it must be flat enough to fit in a sleeve and it should measure 2.5 x 3.5 inches. Materials can include, but are not limited to:
 * Paper (textured, construction, wallpaper, etc.)
 * Wire
 * Paint
 * Magazine
 * Yarn
 * Beads
 * Cloth
 * String
 * Almost anything you can think of!

Steps:

ATCs must:
 * measure 2.5 x 3.5 inches (64 X 89 mm).
 * be traded for other cards—not sold.
 * be flat enough to fit into a plastic trading card sleeve.
 * be signed and dated on the back of the card

ATC swaps are sometimes organized around a theme or topic such as:
 * Altered Faces
 * Ancestors
 * Animals
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">An Art Element or Principle
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Bygone Era
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Community (Where I live)
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Familiar phrases
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Family events
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Heroes & Heroines
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Historical events
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Holidays
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Identity
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Journeys
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Letters of the alphabet
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Mythological creatures
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Quotes
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Seasons
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Song and poem excerpts
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Special places
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Windows & doorways

<span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; margin: 5px 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Here are a few ideas to get you started on making ATCs:
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Make a card that pays homage to an artist or musician you admire.
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Try a Round Robin ATC where one artist starts working on a card and then passes it on the next artist, and so on.
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Create a series of four cards that relate to a particular theme, art element or principle, or medium.
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Make a card based on a classified ad from the newspaper.
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Create a card that uses a written description of a person or place as source material.
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Create a card using images and words that give a sense of a particular time or place in history.
 * <span style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Make a card that focuses attention on a particular social or ecological issue.

The steps and video for creating artist trading cards are on the website....http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Artist-Trading-Cards

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">What do we want and need to find out? We want and need to find out more information on what materials work best with the ATC's. Is it better to use a glue stick or rubber cement? How much space do you need to fill up? Does your ATC need a theme? What materials bleed through the ATC? What do you include on the back of the card? Should you communicate a message through your ATC? Where can you trade ATC card with other artists?